A Field Guide to Plattenbauten

About this pick

A Field Guide to Plattenbauten is one of our hand-picked Events finds for Berlin. Jesse Simon celebrates the residential architecture of the DDR and offers a useful guide for Plattenbauten spotters...

Why Berlin? Berlin is raw, green and endlessly reinventing itself — a city of Cold War scars, world-class galleries and legendary nightlife. The city is known for history and the Wall, techno and nightlife, galleries and street art and lakes and parks.

Good to know: May–September for beer gardens and lake swims; the city is atmospheric but cold from November on. The U-Bahn and S-Bahn run everywhere and late; the city is flat and very cyclable.